Sensitized paper developing apparatus



Dec. 20, 1932. K. MXURCK 1,891,722

sENsIPrzED PAPER DEVELOPING APPARATUS P Filed sept 22, 1951 :5 sheets-sheet 1 4.3 Jwwu Aim/9 NUMA Dec. 20, 1932. K, MURCK 1,891,722

SENSITIZED PAPER DEVELOPING APPARATUS Filed sept. 22. 1951 :s sheets-sheet 2 LM P KNU .M 17126K Aja@ WW Dec. 20, 1932. K. MURcK SENSIT'IZED PAPER DEVELOPING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 22, 1931 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ain w55', ENZ/:0 NURCK dmdw' tty Patented Dec. 20, 1932 --UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE KNU D LIUBCX, l' FOREST HILS, YORK, ASBIGNOB TO BRUNINQ OOI- PANY INC., A CORPORATION OI' NEW YORK rarita navrmonue arrmrus Application fled September 22, 1931. Serial No. 564,275.

'This invention relates to machines for developing sensitized papers by assing them over a yroller which 1s partly su merged in a trough containing the developing solution.

The art of making copies of drawings and tracings includes certain processes in which prints are made from originals directly on sensitizedpapers which are thereafter de-Y veloped into positive prints by a slight moistening with a special developing solution.

In practising these processes great care must be exercised in order to turn prints having a clear background free from blemishes,l spots or discolorations. The means used for causin contact between the paper and the developing roller must be selected with special care. Thus it has beenA found undesirable touse a plain contactingl pressure roller, because after a sheet of paper has passed underneath the same and above the developing roller, the contacting roller will pick up some of the developing solution and transfer it to the back of the next sheet which will become streaked and blurred, particularly at the edges.

One object of this invention is to' provide a generally improved developing machine of the class referred. Another object is to provide a novel form of Contactin means for use in such a machine. Other ov jects are to improve several of the parts and elements of the machine whereby to provide an auto- 21 containing the developing solution 22.

matic high speedmachine capable of developing sensitized papers in a. manner to produce superior prints or copies. *y

^ With these'objectsfin. 'v lew my invention is embodied in a developing machine arv lranged and constructed as hereinafter set forth and as illustrated'in the accompanying drawings in which l Fig. 1 is a plan view ofthe machine with parts broken away and parts in section.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the machine looking in the direction of arrow 2 in Figure 1 and with parts broken away.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Fi 4 is a detailedperspective viewshowing t e stripping means contacting with the 5 developerroller. I

out gooddisk consists of awheel 16 provided with a vvspacing h ub 30 to each side, see Figure 5, and

Fi 5 is a detail'view of the paper contact- 1n isk which rests on the develo ing roller.

1g.!6 is a detail view showing t e arran ement for suppl ing'developing liquid to t e developing ro er.

The several parts and mechanisms of the machine are generally supported on and between two main side frames 10 and 11 which are held together in any suitable manner. In the front of the machine is provided a.y feed board 12 upon which the operator places the sheet 13, Fig. 3, to be vdeveloped with thesen.- I sitized side downward. He then inserts the sheet in the machine by pushing it in under a guide roller orrodv14 and against the rotating developing roller 15 which seizes the edge of the sheet as it were and carries it around up over the developing roller and beneath the contacting disks 16. The sheet is thus gripped between two rotating elements and carried into the machine in an obvious manner. From the developing roller 15 the sheet passes over strippers 17 onto endless belts 18 which pass around a heatin cylinder 19 and which finally cause the deve oped dr 75 print to be discharged into a delivery troug 2O in front of the operator.

The developing roller 15 is preferably a highly polished metal roller with a chromium surface for the purpose of hardness, smoothness and cleanness.

The roller is partly submerged in a trough The ends of the trough have feet 23, see Figure 6, which are suitably supported in recesses 24 in the side frames. For the purpose of maintaining a constant level in the trough, it is supplied with developing solution from an inverted bottle 25 extending'into a container'26 which communicates wlth the trough through a detachable supply pi 27.

The contacting pressure dis 16 form a special feature of the invention. :The disks: -a're freely rotatable on a shaft 35 and each a very narrow edgelike rim' 31 the sides of which tapers steeply from the rim inwardly to the hubsto both sides. The angles 32 formed between the sides of the wheels and the surface of the developing rollers are not far m being right angles, the idea being that this angle shall be quite large to prevent the formation of nook like corners at the contacting points which might serve as spaces for collecting drops of moisture picked up by the rims of the disks or wheels and then transferred to the back of the succeeding sheet. The wheels should however not have knife edges or rims. It will also be observed that the wheels not only7 are of such form as to readily shed moisture, but also have suflicient body for good driving contact. The disks 16 rest upon the developing roller 15 by ravity. The supporting shaft 35 is held in earings 36. The disks as a contacting unit may be easily lifted off the developing roller and detached from the machine.

The bearings 36 are part of the largerbearings 70, Fig. 5, which supports the developing roller. The bearings 36 rest in recesses 71 in the frames, Fig. 6. From this it will be seen that the developing roller is easily detachable. l

The strippers 17, Figure 4, are in the form of thin blades of suitable material mounted in pairs on the ends of connecting rods 33. Each blade has legs 34 for resting on a supporting rod 38 and inasmuch as the blades are free to move on the rods 33, individual gravity adjustment is provided for, thus insuring good contact between the stripper and the developing roller. The strippers are mounted in detachable and movable pairs so that they may be placed to best advantage with relation to the width of the sheet.

The movable elements in the machine are driven from a motor 40 which drives a worm 41 in mesh with al worm wheel 42 on a short shaft 43 which carries a gear 44. The gear 44 meshes with the two gears 45 and 46 which are fast on the shafts of the developing roller 15 and the belt roller 47 toA drive these parts.

The cylinder 19 is heated by fixed electric heating elements mounted in two spiders 51, 51. The spiders are fast on a hollow' per- .forated shaft 52 which is fixed to a bearing 53, see Fig. 1. lThe cylinder 19 has a hollow shaft 55 which rotates within the bearing 53 as shown. The numeral 60 denotes a thermo couple or like device for controlling the temperature in a well known manner.

The -sheet receiving trough 20 is carried between two end shields 62, 62 which are hinged -to the frames at 63 and have stops 64. At the bottom the end shields carry a cover 65 which prevents upward movement of the sheet of paper running on the tapes.

The use of the disks contacting unit has been proven to be of special advantage in the operation of the machine. The disks run easily in contact with the developing roller and does not produce streaks or lines.

The amount of moisture which is picked up by the disks after the paper passes from to be with the said roller and means for removing p under them is so insignificant 'as to be negligible. Whenever necessary the entire contacting unit is easily removed from the machine.

It will also be noted from Figures 5 and 6`thatl the developing roller is easily removable from its supports.

During operation the strippers 17 may be shifted about to best advantage and from time to time the trough element 20 may be lifted to inspect the parts and observe the running of the machine, or this element may be entirely detached by a lifting movement as is evident from the hinge support 63, Fig. 2.

The machine may be mounted on the floor or on a bench or table for convenient working height. It is quick, silent and efiicient in operation.

While I have shown and described my invention in its preferred form, nevertheless it will be understood that changes in the construction of the machine may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim l. Apparatus for developing sensitized paper comprising a driven roller for applying developing liquid to the surface of a sheet to be developed, means for supplying developing liquid to the surface of said roller, a contacting unit resting on said roller and adapted to rest thereupon by gravity, said contacting unit consisting of a nonrotatable shaft, a plurality of closely adjacent contacting disks rotatably carried by said shaft for maintaining contact between the sheet and the said roller and for moving the sheet in developing contact therewith.

2. Apparatus for developing sensitized paper comprising a driven roller for applying developing liquid to the surface of'a sheet to be developed, means for supplying de-y veloping liquid to the surface of said roller, a contacting unit consisting of a nonrotatable shaft, a plurality of freely rotatable disks on said shaft for maintaining Contact between the sheet and the said roller, each `of said disks having a wheel-like body with sides tapering towards the rim of the wheel, forming large acute angles with the surface of the sheet and means for mounting said contacting unit in operative relation with the said roller.

3. Apparatus for developing sensitized paper comprising a driven roller for applying developing liquid to the surface of a sheet to be developed, means for supplying developing liquid to the surface of said roller, means for moving the sheet around and in contact with said roller, stripping devices for stripping the sheet from said roller consisting of stripper blades mounted in pairs and adapted supported at will along and in contact the stripped sheet away from the roller.

4. Apparatus for developing sensitized aper comprising a driven roller for receiving and applying developing liquid to the surface of a sheet tobe developed, a gravity actuated contacting unit resting on said roller and consisting of a nonrotatable shaft, apluralit of spaced freely rotatable disks on said sha for maintaining contact between the said sheet and the roller and for cooperating with the latter to move the sheet around the roller, vertically disposed strippers, means for supporting said strippers in pairs at will along said roller to strip the sheet therefrom and means for removing said stripped sheet.

5. Apparatus for developing sensitized pa.- per comprising a roller for receiving and applying developing liquid to the surface of a sheet to be developed, a gravity actuated oontacting unit resting on said roller and .consisting of a nonrotatable shaft, a plurality of spaced freely rotatable disks on said shaft for maintaining contact between the said sheet and the roller and for cooperating with the latter to move the sheet around the roller, said disks having wheel-like bodies with sides tapering towards the rims and forming large acute angles with the surface of the sheet and the roller, a fixed rod, stripping devices mounted in pairs and supported on said rod in contact by gravity with the said roller to strip the sheet therefrom and means for operating said roller.

6. Apparatus for developing sensitized paper comprising a detachable roller for applying developing liquid to the surface of a sheet to be developed, .a detachably mounted trough for containing the liquid, means for feeding the sheet into contact with and around the sai'd roller including a detachably supported nonrotatable shaft, a plurality of spaced freely rotatable disks on said shaft, said disks having tapered sides and very narrow rims contacting with the sheet, pairs of strippers supported along said roller and contacting therewith by gravity for stripping the sheet from the roller, a heating cylinder, a sheet receiving trough, means for conveying the stripped developed sheet in contact with the heated cylinder and into said receiving trough and means for operatin .the said apparatus.

igned at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York.

KNU'D MURCK. 

